Dennis Schultz is making his way across the U.S. in a wheelchair on a mission he calls the “Handshake Journey.”

The former truck driver lost his right leg after a trucking accident and was given less than a 50 percent chance of survival.

“I was pinned," he said. "I was crushed for close to six and a half hours inside my semi while I was awake. I had people, first responders, come up and talk to me, asking me questions, talking about everything."

Schultz says he’s alive today thanks to the hard work of first responders like those who helped him following the accident.

He now wants to thank men and women in the medical field who save lives every day.

“I’m here today because of them people," he added. "I’m not just talking about one person, I am talking about the whole brotherhood. And I want to show that they're really in my heart."

Schultz has a banner that he asks people to sign. When he ran out of space, a local business in Mississippi made him a new one for free. He was also given a new wheelchair.

The former truck driver is chronicling his adventure on Facebook, where he shares photos and stories of hope.

“That is what my journey is about. When people say there's not good in this world, you look at this story, you look at my Facebook, because it is wrong," he said.